One American has died and dozens more are sick amid an outbreak of E Coli linked to McDonald’s.
The CDC said Tuesday that 49 people in 10 states have been sickened from the same strain of the deadly bacteria that kills up to one in five sufferers.
The only fatality was an elderly man in Colorado, the agency said, while a child is currently suffering life-threatening kidney damage from the infection.
All affected patients had eaten at McDonald’s before getting sick, and most of them specifically mentioned ordering the chain’s popular Quarter Pounder burger.
The specific contaminated ingredient has not been identified, but investigators are focusing on the slivered onions and the beef patty.
McDonald’s has removed both items used for the hamburgers from stores affected states while the investigation continues.
The chain said Quarter Pounders in some states may be temporarily unavailable.
The CDC announced that 49 people in 10 states have been sickened with E coli after eating at McDonald’s in 10 states. Most ate a Quarter Pounder (pictured here)
Quarter Pounder beef patties are only used on the chain’s Quarter Pounder, while the onions ‘are primarily used on Quarter Pounder hamburgers and not other menu items,’ the CDC said.
No additional details have been released about the Colorado man.
The hospitalized child is suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a condition that can occur when small blood vessels become damaged and inflamed.
This damage can cause clots to form in the vessels all through the body. The clots can damage the kidneys and other organs. Hemolytic uremic syndrome can lead to kidney failure, which can be life-threatening.
The first reported illness happened on September 29, with the last reported illness on October 11, according to the CDC. The agency said it usually takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
The CDC reported that most people Colorado (27) or Nebraska (9). Additionally, people in Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Montana and Oregon have all reported cases, though it’s unclear how many were in each of those states.
E. coli are bacteria typically found in the intestines of animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, and deer. While most are harmless, some can cause a host of gastrointestinal symptoms, including stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting.
The bacteria can be found in food and water contaminated by feces from infected animals.
E coli infection sickens about 95,000 Americans per year and kills around 17 to 20 percent.
Young children and elderly adults are at the greatest risk of dying from E coli due to having naturally weakened immune systems.
Symptoms include diarrhea, a fever above 102 F, vomiting, and signs of dehydration like not peeing or dry mouth, the CDC said.
The patients in the current outbreak were infected with strain O157:H7, the most common strain in humans that has been shown to cause severe intestinal infections.
The CDC said that anyone who has severe E coli symptoms after eating a Quarter Pounder at McDonald’s should seek medical help and tell the provider what they ate.
HUS, which caused the child to be hospitalized, affects about 200 to 300 Americans per year and kills less than one in 20 of those.
Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, and vomiting. Symptoms usually start three to four days after swallowing the bacteria, and most people recover without treatment after five to seven days.
McDonald’s about 6million burgers per day in the US, and around 110,000 are Quarter Pounders.
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